2014 WORLD PRESS PHOTO OF THE YEAR

Photograph by Mads Nissen, Denmark, Berlingske/Scanpix

Jon and Alex, a gay couple, share an intimate moment at Alex’s home, a small apartment in St Petersburg, Russia. Life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people is becoming increasingly difficult in Russia. Sexual minorities face legal and social discrimination, harassment, and even violent hate-crime attacks from conservative religious and nationalistic groups.

Commissioned by Berlingske/Scanpix

You can see all the winners of that year’s contest on the World Press Photo website.

2013 WORLD PRESS PHOTO OF THE YEAR

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, USA, VII for National Geographic

African migrants on the shore of Djibouti City at night raise their phones in an attempt to catch an inexpensive signal from neighboring Somalia—a tenuous link to relatives abroad.

Djibouti is a common stop-off point for migrants in transit from such countries as Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, seeking a better life in Europe and the Middle East.

Commissioned by VII for National Geographic

You can see all the winners of that year’s contest on the World Press Photo website.